ALEXANDRIA — Lapel found out early what the rest of the Alexandria Sectional would soon know.
In the March 4 opening game of Class 2A Sectional 40, Lapel lost to eventual sectional champion Wapahani, 68-56, at Alexandria-Monroe High School.
Wapahani (20-5) defeated host Alexandria, 64-59, in a semifinal game. Then it defeated Frankton, 46-43, in the championship game Saturday, March 7.
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Lapel finished its season with a record of 14-10. It lost twice to Wapahani, dropping a 62-47 decision on the Raiders’ home floor in Selma on Dec. 13.
“We battled. We battled them a lot better than we did when we played them earlier in the year,” Lapel coach Jimmie Howell said. “The kids left it on the floor. They played really hard tonight.
“There were a few times we were hustling like crazy and the ball just wouldn’t fall our way.”
Wapahani’s Braxton Davis hit three first-quarter 3-pointers, and the Raiders had four in the opening period to take a 16-14 advantage after the first break. The Raiders extended the lead to 29-26 at the half.
The Bulldogs battled back and tied the game, 36-36, getting back-to-back 3-pointers from seniors Kolby Bullard and Carson Huber, but Wapahani finished the quarter strong. A pair of free throws and a 3-pointer with one second remaining by sub Blake Castor gave the soon-to-be champs a 43-38 advantage with one quarter to go.
“They hit some big shots,” Howell added. “The one Castor hit at the end of the third quarter was really big. I think he was 1-for-10 (on the season from 3-point range) going into this game.”
“Any spark you get like that is a huge, huge benefit for us,” Wapahani coach Matt Luce said.
Lapel could not get any closer than within five points in the final quarter.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by seniors Huber and Bullard with 17 and 13, respectively. Senior Cole Alexander added 11 and a game-high 10 rebounds. Off the bench, sophomore Corbin Renihan scored nine points.
The game was the last for six Lapel seniors: Huber, Bullard, Alexander, Noah Frazier, Luke Rich and Gage White.
“It’s a group (of seniors) that have played for a long time,” Howell said. “They won the sectional when they were sophomores — they just couldn’t get over the hump the last couple of years. They’re all great kids. They are all going to do really well in life.”
Wapahani senior David Spence led all scorers with 22 points. Davis finished with 14, and senior Evan Rausch added 13.
“We’ve kind of grown up playing against these guys,” Luce added, noting both teams having big senior groups. “They’ve got an experienced team. I think they have (six) seniors and a hall of fame coach. Any time we can beat Lapel in tournament time, we’re excited.”